Coupon transfer-ticket.



H. BRAUN.

COUPON TRANSFER TICKET.

APPLIGATION FILED sBPT.16, 1311.

1,048,286. Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

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HENRY BRAUN, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO FRANKJ'. PFAEF AND ONE-THIRD T0 GEORGE SEEBER, BOTH OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

COUPON TRANSFER-TICKET.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY BRAUN, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of the city of Elizabeth, county ofUnion, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Coupon Transfer-Tickets, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in coupontransfer tickets, and more particularly improvements in what are termedtime limit transfers for use on street railways and the like, fortransferring passengers from the car of one line to the car of anotherline at a fixed transfer point and at a giventime.

Another object of the invention is to make each transfer ticket a couponhaving a redeemable value, said coupon serving as a receipt for the farepaid, the slip having means thereonwhereby it may be destroyed as atransfer ticket when it is given as a coupon or mere receipt for thefare paid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transfer ticket which ifunused serves as a receipt for the fare paid and has a res deemablevalue so that it will not be destroyed by the passenger or given away toother prospect-ive passengers.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which therailroad company may keep an absolute check on the conductors. It isobvious that at the end of a run or at the end of a day the conductormust account for every coupon transfer ticket issued to him at thebeginning of the day or at the beginning of the run by returning unusedcoupon transfer slips plus cash fares or transfers received, the wholeequaling the entire number of coupon transfer tickets issued to theconductor. In the use of my invention, when a conductor receives atransfer he must issue for it to the passenger a coupon receipt so thatthe passenger will always have a receipt for the fare paid, said receiptbeing in the form of a redeemable coupon.

Another object of the invention is to print on each coupon transferticket an agreement by the company that a certain number of coupontransfers are redeemable for a certain number of tickets usable in thepayment of fares so that each passenger will have a notice that hiscoupon receipt has il redeem- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1911.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

Serial No. 649,652.

able value in that a certain number of them may be exchanged for ticketsreceivable for car fares.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coupon transfer ticketwithout detachable slips or coupons so thatit will be unnecessary forthe conductor to tear olf or detach any portion of the slip, said slipsbeing converted into transfer slips or coupons only by punching them incertain designated places.

As transfer tickets are now constructed and used they are of no valueexcept as transfers and if they are not used by a passenger for thatpurpose they are thrown away or otherwise destroyed. There is no meansfor determining the number of transfers received or issued by aconductor. It frequently happens that a person entitled to a transferwill accept it and then deliver it to another person who would otherwisepay the regular fare. In this way a railroad in the course of a day willlose many fares. By my system of coupon transfers the slip will have aredeemable value and if not used by the person entitled to it it will bepreserved and eventually be presented for redemption by the railroadcompany.

By providing means whereby the coupon transfer ticket may be destroyedas a transfer and rendered solely as a receipt for the fare paid thefrequent disputes between a conductor and passenger as to whether or nothis fare has been paid will be avoided as each passenger will have areceipt for his fare which, under the terms of the receipt, he must showwhenever requested to do so. Even a passenger presenting a transfer willreceive in return a slip punched in such a manner as to convert it intoa mere fare receipt coupon, so that all passengers will have a receiptfor their fares, thereby rendering it extremely unlikely that anyquestion should ever arise as to whether or not a passenger had paid hisfare or delivered his transfer to the conductor.

The fact that the conductors must account for every coupon transferticket delivered to them, will make it impossible for them to exchangetransfers as they now so frequently do. A conductor cannot part with atransfer slip without accounting for it either by a cash fare or areceived transfer so that if transfers are exchanged one conductor orthe other must account for his transfers by turning in cash fares, orthe exchange of coupons will be detected.

In the drawing` Figure 1 is an elevation 5 of the back of the coupontransfer ticket; and F ig. 2 a similar view of the face o-f the ticket.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1 designates the coupontransfer ticket, which consists of a strip of suitable material dividedon its back into a body portion 2 and an antemeridian coupon 3 and apostmeridian coupon 4i, these coupons being at one end of the ticket anddivided from each other by means of a line 5. The antemeridian couponbears the legend Valid for A. M. only when punched so that it becomesnecessary to punch the said antemeridian coupon in order to make thetransfer valid as an a. 1n. transfer. The postmeridian coupon bears thelegend Not valid for P. M. if punched so that it becomes unnecessary topunch either coupon if the ticket is to be used as a p. m. transfer.

The body portion of the ticket on its back and near its upper edge bearsthe words Coupon No. followed by a suitable number. Below the wordCoupon the back of the ticket bears an agreement of the company that acertain number of the transfers when issued are redeemable for acert-ain number of free tickets which may be used as fares. The ticketalso bears a statement that the coupon transfer is a receipt for thefare paid and requesting the passenger to show the receipt whenevernecessary. Below this agreement and statement the ticket bears the dateupon which the transfer is issued andL also ruledoff spaces to bepunched for first fare and second fare when the coupon is used on atwo-fare line. At the right end of the ticket is a blank space 6 whereinthe ticket is punched if it is not to be used as a transfer, and whenpunched at this point the transfer character of the ticket is destroyedand it is good merely as a receipt for the fare paid and as a redeemablecoupon. Below the date the ticket bears the words Unused transfers goodas coupons as shown at 7. Below this statement as to unused coupons thetime intervals are printed as shown The face of the ticket is dividedinto a body part 9, and at its left-hand end into an antemeridian coupon10 and a postmeridian coupon 11, these coupons bearing the same legendsas the corresponding' coupons on the back of the ticket, and for thesame purpose. At the right-hand end of the ticket in the upper cornerthereof is a coupon 12 bearing the legend No Vtransfer when punchedhere, the word here being arranged in a block indicating that thepunching must be through the word here. This block in which the wordhere is printed corresponds with the blank space 7 on the back of theticket so that should the ticket be punched from the front or the backthe punch hole will be in the proper position and through the word hereor in the block in which said word is printed. When the coupon transferticket is issued as a receipt for a fare paid it is punched as directedby the legend on coupon 12 and its character as a transfer therebydestroyed. The coupon thus issued is of value, however, as it may beredeemed for free tickets when presented in suliicient numbers, inaccordance with the agreement printed on the back of the ticket. Theface of the ticket bears a list of the transfer points and the usualtime limit indications. On the face of the ticket is also printed thenotice Good only for ride when punched 4at intersecting points and timelimit so that the ticket when it is to be 85, used as a transfer must bepunched to indicate the intersecting points and the time limit. 1f it isfor an a. m. transfer the anteineridian coupon must be punched also. Ifneither the a. m. nor p. m. coupons are punched the ticket is good onlyfor a p. m. transfer.

The conductor when receiving transfers from passengers is required topunch the tickets to convert them into fare receipts and to give them tothe passengers in exchange for their transfers. When the tickets areused on a two-fare line when a passenger pays first fare he is given areceipt punched to destroy its character as a transfer and also punchedat the point where it is marked First fare When he pays his second farehe is given a second receipt similarly punched to destroy its characteras a transfer and to convert it into a mere receipt, and also punched atthe point where it states Second fare.

It will thus be seen that there is an absolute check at all times uponthe conductor so that he will be at all times able to account for everyfare received and transfer given and received. l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A coupon transfer ticket consisting of a single sheet provided withtime limit and transfer point indications, with approprie atelydesignated postmeridian and antemeridian coupons bearing legends toindicate that if said coupons are punched or not punched the ticket isconverted into an antemeridian or postmeridian transfer, respectively,and bearing a legend that the ticket is a redeemable coupon and farereceipt, and further provided with an appropriately designated couponwhich if punched destroys the character of the ticket as a transfer andthereby converts it into merely a receipt for the fare paid.

2. A coupon transfer ticket consisting of a single sheet and providedwith time limit and transfer point indications, with appropriatelydesignated postmeridian and ante- 5 meridian coupons bearing legends toindicate that if said coupons are punched, or not punched,the ticket isconverted into an anteineridian o1 POSt-Ineridian transfer,`respectively, and bearing in legend that the ticket is a redeemablecoupon and fare receipt, and further provided with an appropriatelydesignated coupon which it' punched destroys the character of the ticketas a transfer and thereby converts it into merely a receipt for the farepaid and also provided with a plurality of fare indications which whenpunched indicate how many cash fares have been paid by the holder of theticket.

In testimony whereoi` I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

HENRY BRAUN. Witnesses GEORGE BRANDT, EDWARD NUGENT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

